


Samantha Darkh

by Anonanonanonana



Series: Darkh Days [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, H.I.V.E., Post-Canon, bratva!Oliver, season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-01 14:29:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4023376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonanonanonana/pseuds/Anonanonanonana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as the puzzle pieces about Damien Darkh and H.I.V.E start falling into place for Team Arrow, a stranger from Felicity's past raises more questions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Old wounds

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after Oliver and Felicity return to Starling City after season 3. Assume season 1-3 canon for characters and their relationships/roles. I will be adding chapters as the story comes to me, and I hope to always end the chapters without cliffhangers unless I already have the next one written. Mature rating due to content of discussions between characters - the Bratva was a dark place for Oliver.

Felicity was staring at the computer monitor, Oliver and Diggle standing anxiously behind her chair in the new lair.

“Felicity?” Oliver was concerned that she had cut off her victory ramble just before explaining what breaking through the database finally got them. “What’s wrong?”

Oliver shot Diggle a concerned look and placed his hand on Felicity’s shoulder. She jumped as she turned towards him, shaking her head slowly. He grimaced, confused, as he squatted to get eye level with her. “What’s wrong?”

Felicity’s eyes clouded with tears, shaking her head, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She said as she jumped from the chair and walked to the darker side of the room away from her computer table.

Oliver watched her until Diggle startled him, “Holy shit.” Oliver turned quickly to look at his brother-in-arms. Diggle was reading the information on the computer screen, so Oliver turned to read it himself. It was the HIVE personnel file on Damien Darkh Felicity had been trying to break into for 2 weeks. Beside his picture was a list of aliases, including Edward Smoak.

Stunned and uncertain if this meant what it seemed to the men finally noticed that Felicity was on the phone. Only parts of her side of the conversation making its way to them. “yeah it’s dad…I don’t know why…I’m sorry…okay I’ll see you soon, should I text the address to this number…of course you do.” She sighed and ended the call, the sad expression on her face lighter but not completely gone.

After a minute of contemplation she turned to see her guys watching her, both their faces etched with concern and questions. Felicity started to walk back towards them, not able to meet their gazes as she cleared her throat. She had to laugh to herself, of all the secrets this team had dealt with, hers were probably going to be what does them in. “I know I haven’t talked much about my father,” she started, raising her head to gauge their reactions. “Turns out the name I knew my whole life is actually his alias. As you probably just saw while I was over here,” her arms were starting to participate as she gained her normal momentum of speech.

Oliver’s tense shoulders relaxed as she started to seem more like herself though quiet fell on the room. Oliver cleared his throat and turned her chair, inviting her to sit back down. She smiled lightly as she sat back down, sighing to regain her composure, “Okay, let’s see what else he’s been hiding.”

They went over everything in his file, which was actually pretty thin. No personal information beyond aliases, but that was enough for Felicity to set up trackers and alerts, hoping to figure out his next move. She wasn’t sure if she should be hurt that family weren’t listed but it was probably for the best given that this was ending up being another Big Bad. As she finished her work, Felicity realized that Oliver and Diggle still stood behind her. Flexing her fingers she sighed, something she’d been doing a lot today, and turned in her chair. They stepped back to give her room so she could speak without having to look up at them. “Can we talk about this at Big Belly Burger?” She shrugged, “I stress eat and right now I am really stressed.” Oliver and Diggle both huffed a little and relaxed.

“I’m up for that, how about you, Oliver?”

Oliver smiled and put his hand out for Felicity to take, “Yeah, we can do that.”

* * *

 

**_5 years ago_ **

When Oliver had come across Anatoly again after the island he felt relief. The old Russian was someone he didn’t have to pretend with. Someone who knew about darkness. He stayed in Anatoly’s home, allowing them to talk about the Bratva late into the night. Anatoly taught him Russian as he had promised, but Oliver felt that joining another organization that would keep him tethered was the last thing he wanted. He took advantage of some of their training and learned the discipline that comes with structure. This changed though when Anatoly’s life was in danger.

Oliver never slept more than a couple hours, and the night he first heard of Damien Darkh was no exception. He had gone down to the small workout room next to Anatoly’s study to try to tire himself out for a couple more hours of sleep when he heard Anatoly’s exasperated accent in the hall. “I don’t care who this Darkh is, he will not threaten me. Understood?”

“We think he’s infiltrated the brotherhood,” said a voice Oliver didn’t recognize, but the accent wasn’t Russian. Middle Eastern maybe? Oliver couldn’t continue his evaluation because Anatoly’s heated reply cut off his train of thought.

“Oh, I know he has. And I will handle it.”

Still certain that returning to Starling City was the worst thing he could do, Oliver decided to confront Anatoly about the conversation the next morning at breakfast and step in as his protector, conceding to join the Bratva so that he could be officially recognized by the other men in the brotherhood.

A few weeks later Anatoly called Oliver into his study. The scruffy weathered Russian greeted him with a smile as he walked in the door, “Ah, Oliver, my favorite American. I am glad you came so quickly. I would like you to meet my niece.”

A tall dark-haired woman stood off to the side, not meeting Oliver’s eyes. She bowed her head slightly in recognition. But this wasn’t good enough for Anatoly. “Come now, Samantha, Oliver is a good friend and we must work together to ensure he gains stature in the Bratva.” He smiled, looking between the two of them, “The three of us will save my hide, no?”

Over several months Samantha and Oliver spent most days training. Her speed and strength unmatched, he often found himself sprawled on the floor, sore from whatever she had done to get him there. They rarely spoke, but when they did the topic was either business or Anatoly. She spared him details on her family, which he didn’t mind as he preferred no one know about his as well. They didn’t fully trust each other, but they knew Anatoly trusted the other and that was enough for civility.

This changed the night Anatoly was targeted. The three were on their way to a meeting with a supplier when a sniper attempted to take him out. Samantha and Oliver worked with ease to shield him, even as Oliver took a bullet himself. Instead of going to the hospital or home, they went to Anatoly’s office in the back of a seedy Bratva bar. Oliver’s heroics were all the men could talk about as Samantha removed the bullet from his leg and patched him up.

Samantha seemed to be the only one who was not gleefully drinking. “You shouldn’t have taken the risk,” she scolded him as she finished the final stitch in his numbed skin.

Oliver turned to look at her face, feeling a closeness they hadn’t had before. Proximity to her had always been easy, even if unwanted. His lips upturned at the corners, “Don’t tell me you’re worried about me.”

She huffed a small laugh, “No, I’m worried about me.”

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing in confusion. She put down the needle and found the gauze as she continued, “They will want to make you a Captain now.”

He shook his head, still not understanding. She sighed, “Do you know what it takes to gain that stature? And who they will require you do that to?”

He glanced around the room, finding everyone lost in their merriment, except Anatoly, who eyed them carefully over the top of his glass. Oliver licked his lips and turned back to address Samantha, “No.”

She made sure the tape and gauze were on securely and moved to put away the first aid supplies before answering, “Then we need to have a serious conversation with my uncle.”

That conversation occurred a few days later in Anatoly’s study with a very loud Oliver and an ashamed Anatoly.

“You not only allow, but encourage, men to do this?” Oliver couldn’t believe that the man he sought safety with could belong to such a monstrous organization. The idea of raping women for ranking had left him dry heaving – even in his drunken playboy days Ollie Queen would never have pushed a woman past ‘no’.

Anatoly sighed, glancing at Samantha for confirmation of a previous conversation between them before answering, “In your case she would be playing the part willingly.”

Oliver looked between Anatoly and Samantha, shaking his head, “But the brotherhood would think I had actually done it and,” he rubbed his hands over his face, “and I can’t.” He threw up his hands and stormed out of the room.

Samantha found him next door in the gym, taking out his aggression on a punching bag. She leaned against the wall, waiting for him to lose steam. When he fell to the floor on his knees she approached him slowly and sat beside him. “I know this seems odd,” she played with a thread at the bottom of her pant leg, “but this is the sole reason Anatoly introduced us.”

Oliver turned his head quickly to look at her, hoping to find that she was joking, but all he found was sincerity in her eyes, “What?”

Samantha bit her lower lip, “We were teamed up so that I could help you ascend the ranks, and this is the final step.”

Oliver shook his head, “But why? Why would you agree to this?”

Samantha sighed and placed one of her hands over his on his thigh, “Because the alternative is much worse.” She squeezed his hand and then pulled hers away to stand and leave.

Before she reached the door she turned to say one final thing, “This is why I was worried about me, Oliver. I knew you’d be too good a man to go through with this. But I assure you, it may be two shitty things to choose between, but I am choosing this option voluntarily.”

That night Oliver knocked softly on Samantha’s bedroom door. “Who is it?” Her voice came out muffled by the wood between them.

Oliver cleared his throat, “Oliver.”

She opened the door tentatively, taking in how tired he looked she opened the door all the way and invited him to step inside her room.

He took a few steps in and sighed, turning around to face her. She leaned against the door, leaving it open to the hallway. He licked his lips, looking side to side to gain his composure, “You probably want to shut the door so no one hears what we’re going to discuss.”

She nodded, understanding that he had come to a decision he didn’t like.

* * *

After her shock at finding out Damien Darkh was her father, Felicity felt better with some Big Belly Burger in her. Sitting in the booth with only some milkshake left she filled Oliver and Diggle in on what little she knew about him, but how much of it was actually true was debatable. Realizing that her shake had gone warm as she talked, Felicity sighed and sat against the back of her seat, Oliver’s arm automatically reaching across her shoulders to hug her into his side. He and Diggle looked at each other, silently attempting to communicate – there was one question she hadn’t answered yet. Diggle cleared his throat and nodded toward their girl, clearly indicating that this was Oliver’s question to ask.

Oliver squeezed her shoulder a little so she’d look up at him. He smiled, but she knew he was thinking about something. He ducked his head down and removed his arm so he could turn towards her as much as the table of the booth would allow, taking her hands in his. Rubbing his thumb across her knuckles he started slow, “Earlier, in the lair, you called someone.” Felicity nodded so he continued, “Your mom?”

Felicity bit her lower lip as her face fell. “No.” She glanced toward Diggle and then back at the man she had promised to always be honest with. “My sister.”

Oliver tilted his head, confusion making itself known across his face. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

Felicity dropped her chin to her chest, closing her eyes with a sigh. Oliver squeezed her hands, letting her know he was still there. He knew what it was like to keep secrets and he knew Felicity wouldn’t have kept this from him if it wasn’t important. “Hey, Felicity.” He disentangled one hand from hers to place it under her chin, lifting her face so she could see him. “It’s okay – but we know now so let’s hear it.”

She nodded, “Of course. It’s just…” She sighed. “When my dad left he took her with him. I haven’t seen her in over 15 years. She got into contact with me just before I left for MIT, to let me know she was okay and that she’d keep an eye on my mom while I was away. She has a different mom. But she’s dead, not that I knew that when I was little, it was something she, you know my mom, told me later. And this is really beside the point.” She closed her eyes to focus before continuing, “She was the first person I called when Cooper was arrested in college and I know she probably had something to do with me not ending up in jail over that.” A tear slipped down her cheek. Oliver wiped it away, the empathy clear in his eyes. Felicity’s lips trembled with a hesitant smile. “She only told me a little bit about why dad took her away. About a dangerous organization he wanted us to be a part of but she put herself in the middle, promised to be dedicated completely if he left me alone.” The smile left her face as the tears started to flow more freely. “Knowing now who he really is and that it was probably HIVE he dragged her to – she saved me, Oliver.” A sob left Felicity’s throat as Oliver hugged her closely to his chest. Oliver glanced at Diggle, the anger evident on the other man’s face.

They all decided that at some point she needed to talk to her mom, but Felicity was hesitant until they could get a better idea of why he was threatening Starling. As they entered the lair Oliver was the first to notice the dark-haired woman from his past sitting in Felicity’s chair, watching them as they approached. He stopped short, Felicity colliding with his back and his hand automatically reaching behind him to prevent her from coming into the woman’s line of sight. “Samantha?” he growled in his Arrow voice, “What are you doing here?”

...


	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after Oliver and Felicity return to Starling City after season 3. Assume season 1-3 canon for characters and their relationships/roles. I will be adding chapters as the story comes to me, and I hope to always end the chapters without cliffhangers unless I already have the next one written. Mature rating due to content of discussions between characters - the Bratva was a dark place for Oliver.

* * *

 

_As they entered the lair Oliver was the first to notice the dark-haired woman from his past sitting in Felicity’s chair... “Samantha?” he growled in his Arrow voice, “What are you doing here?”_

 

The woman smiled as she stood from the chair, advancing only a step. “I always come when my sister calls.”

Felicity ran out from behind Oliver, throwing her arms around the intruder. “Sammy!”

The woman’s smiled broadened as she returned the embrace, “Hey kiddo.”

The women pulled back slightly from each other, just enough to look at each other’s faces. Laughing as they hugged again. Swaying a bit with their giddy reunion before pulling apart and allowing their arms to drop back to their sides. Felicity’s face dropped as the reason for the visit returned to her mind, “I’m sorry I had to call. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

Samantha palmed her sister’s cheek, “Don’t be sorry, Lissy. This is exactly what you had that number for.”

Felicity nodded and stepped back towards Oliver, who hadn’t moved from the bottom of the steps. Diggle stood beside him, his arms crossed over his chest, taking in the unknown woman. Obviously Oliver knew her in a different capacity than Felicity, and that worried him. Before Felicity could do introductions Samantha turned her focus to Oliver. “It seems you’ve been busy since the last time I saw you.”

It was Felicity’s turn to be confused. “Oliver, you know my sister?”

Oliver cleared his throat, softening his face to look at Felicity. “We’ve met. In Russia.”

Samantha chuckled at the ambiguous response, “More than met don’t you think. Since I’m the reason you were able to make it home.”

Oliver glared at her. “And I thanked you for that at the time. What I want to know is why you’re here now.”

Samantha placed her hand on Felicity’s shoulder, “And as I said when you asked me that a minute ago, I’m here because my sister called me.” Realizing that everyone in the room needed more information, she continued, “I’ve been protecting her and Donna from my father for nearly two decades. I’m not about to stop now that he’s actually making a move for them.”

The mention of her mother got Felicity’s attention, “He’s going after my mom?”

Samantha sighed, “Not unless he can find where I’ve hidden her. I got her out of Vegas the moment he left Starling during your issues with the League a few months ago. He was here for you. With Ras coming here he was going to switch tactics and go for Donna instead. So I moved first. She’s due to check in again in 3 hours if you want to talk to her.” Samantha went to her small bag on Felicity’s computer table, digging out a phone and turning back to her sister. “Here, you can be her contact for the time being. Every 6 hours she’s supposed to call and if it’s anyone other than her, we have problems. Don’t stay on the line for more than 5 minutes and no outbound calls. It may be difficult given the circumstances, but no more than 5, Lissy.”

The blonde smiled as she took the phone. “I’ve learned some respect for the rules since the last time you saw me.”

Samantha laughed, “Obviously not enough given who your best friends are.”

Diggle had taken his time to take stock of the new variable in their lair and decided it was time to ask the question that itched in his throat, “You’re a part of HIVE?”

Samantha turned to him, cocking her head slightly in the way they were used to seeing from Felicity, “Yes.”

The short answer made Diggle huff a bit in surprise. “Why turn against your father?”

Samantha’s amusement fell from her face, but she maintained eye contact knowing that anything less would reduce her credibility. “My father has always claimed that everything he’s put me through has been to protect us, to protect his legacy. But a few months ago, when Felicity was in danger with the League, he had the chance to prove that he was willing to defend us. Instead he tucked his tail and ran to save his own ass.” The disgust was evident on Samantha’s face and both Diggle and Oliver’s stances relaxed. “Let’s just say that I may have burnt a few bridges when he refused to do anything to protect her.”

Felicity gasped, “You’re on the outs with him? Is he after you now? Oh my god is he trying to track you?” She ran to her computers, flipping through screens on all three monitors to ensure the lair’s security was still operating as intended. She froze as her mind finally caught up. Turning to her sister she inquired, “How did you get in here anyway?”

Samantha laughed, “You let me in.”

Felicity quirked an eyebrow, confused.

Her sister shook head and pulled a small device from her bag, handing it over for inspection.

Felicity laughed, “So you waited for us to leave and then remotely held the door from locking until you could come in? How nearby were you when I called?”

Samantha’s face turned serious again, “I’ve been watching you since you and Oliver returned to Starling. I’ve actually been in the city since I got Donna to safety after the bioweapon was cleared. I knew he’d make another move and didn’t want to be too far away.”

“A bit convenient isn’t it?” Diggle spoke up, still not sure Felicity’s prodigal sister could be trusted.

Samantha simply smiled, shaking her head. She turned her attention to the sparring mats. As she walked over, she tugged her shirt over her head, revealing a workout tank and spattering of scars across her shoulders, and turned to address Oliver. “So what’ve you learned since our Bratva days? Want to find out if I can still knock you on your ass while we wait for a hit on daddy dearest’s aliases?”

Oliver snorted, shaking his head. He walked over to the computer table, kissing Felicity’s temple and whispering in her ear, “Would you hate me if I kick your sister’s ass?”

Felicity smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the lips before whispering her response, “Not if you tell me how you know her.”

Oliver leaned his forehead against hers, letting out a breath before choosing his words. “Remember what I told you about gaining my Captain status in the Bratva? About the woman who helped me…” Oliver closed his eyes and focused on breathing. They had already been over this and he wasn’t sure he could approach it again.

Felicity moved a hand to his cheek, “It’s okay, I remember.”

He sighed, hoping that Felicity’s reaction wouldn’t be as bad as he thought it would be. “It was Samantha.”

He felt Felicity’s forehead jerk away from him. He grimaced as he opened his eyes, but instead of anger or tears he simply saw surprise. “My sister is the Russian mafia princess?”

Oliver nodded slowly, barely registering the sound of Diggle and Samantha sparring behind him. He waited for Felicity to process the new information, panic building as he thought about the implications of it all. He just couldn’t believe he was once again dealing with a sister situation. No matter how happy he had been starting his life with Felicity, the universe just couldn’t stop throwing him cliché curveballs.

But Felicity just laughed. It started as a huff, turned into a smile, and then progressed to a playful smack on his chest. “You just can’t cut a break can you?”

Oliver smiled and shook his head, “Evidently I can’t.” He put his arm around her neck and pulled her forward to kiss her forehead. “Have I told you today how lucky I am to have you as my partner?”

Felicity smiled, humming slightly at the feeling of his lips on her. “I’m lucky, too. Crazy fathers and salaciously secretive sisters would usually be a deal breaker but I don’t see you running.” She felt more than heard Oliver chuckle.

“Well,” he kissed her forehead again before pulling away and looking her in the eyes, “Good thing then that my mother numbed me out to familial dysfunction.”


	3. Coming to terms

Samantha grunted as Oliver knocked her to the mat again. He was awfully pleased with himself if his grin was any indication. Samantha smirked as she took his extended hand to get back on her feet. “Seems like you _have_ learned some new moves in the last few years.”

Oliver scoffed, “You should see Felicity’s.”

Samantha stopped wiping her face with the towel and chuckled, then stopped. “What? You’re serious? Lissy fights?”

Oliver’s face shown with amusement, and pride, “Your sister is stronger than any woman, hell most people, I’ve met. She’s taken down big bads both behind the computer and in the field, saved her friends’ lives, and even pistol whipped her ex Cooper after he kidnapped her and Donna.” He had to laugh at that memory. Taking a sip of water he continued since Samantha was still processing this information, “We didn’t teach her to fight. We helped her learn to physically defend herself. The rest is all her.”

A smile creeped onto Samantha’s face as she turned away from Oliver, gathering her clothes to head to the shower, thinking the conversation was over. This was the most they had talked since she showed up a few hours earlier, but Oliver wasn’t finished, “So Anatoly wasn’t really your uncle?”

Samantha stood still hearing the seriousness in Oliver’s tone. She turned to observe his stance and see how much of a fight she may be in for. Surprisingly his body language was still relaxed, but his jaw was clenched. She made a decision to be honest, he was going to be family after all, if they could get out from under her father’s plan. “No. It was a front I agreed to after he discovered I wasn’t who I had presented myself to be to join the brotherhood.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow, “A double cross?”

Samantha shook her head, “Not really.” Sighing she continued, “One of my father’s favorite things is to have me infiltrate other groups and glean their procedures, tech, personnel, intel. He managed to get me into the Bratva as an already established identity, avoid all the issues of being a woman, and non-Russian, and trying to join. But Anatoly was too smart for that ploy.” She laughed a little under her breath, shaking her head, “He probably had me pegged the moment I walked into his office for the first time, but it took a few months before he told me. He made me an offer – exchange information on HIVE for my life.”

Oliver nodded slowly, “Anatoly isn’t an evil man, but you don’t cross the brotherhood.”

Samantha agreed, “I liked him, he had actually saved my ass a few times – you remember how they were with women there.” Oliver dropped his gaze, wanting to forget. “So I knew he would keep his word. I offered a little bit of surface info on the basis of the organization, hoping it’d be enough, but he decided to change the terms. He wanted me to pretend to be his niece so he could escalate someone through the ranks.”

Oliver raised his head to meet her gaze, “Me.”

Samantha bit her lower lip, “Yeah. I think it had been his plan all along to not out me until he needed something from me. Which is actually kind of surprising given that Anatoly talks too much.” Both Samantha and Oliver chuckled, knowing the old Russian well.

Oliver waited a few moments before asking another question, “What happened to you after I left?”

Samantha sighed, her eyes becoming slightly wet despite her efforts to control her emotions. “He helped me fake my death, as far as the Bratva is concerned anyway. After your initiation as Captain I belonged to you but when you left I would’ve been free game to anyone in the brotherhood and, well, I hadn’t planned for that.”

Oliver squeezed his eyes shut, remorse and guilt finding their way into his mind. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t,” Samantha cut him off, “I helped you willingly. The consequences of that were something neither of us had predicted.”

They stood in silence, the sound of Felicity’s computers echoing in the room. She and Diggle would be back with dinner any time now and Samantha wanted to finish this conversation before they returned. “Can I ask you a question, Oliver?”

He clenched his hand around the towel he was still holding and nodded slightly.

“Does Felicity know?”

Oliver didn’t have to ask the woman to elaborate. He knew she was referring to the time they shared in Russia, the Bratva initiation, the evil they had conspired together to ensure his ranking, and the violation he had been requested to perform but that she had willingly played a role in. He tried to answer but found no voice escaping his open mouth. Clearing his throat he tried again, “Yes, I’ve told her everything. And if I missed any details I would fill her in as they come to mind without thinking twice.” He raised his head, making sure Samantha could see the sincerity in his eyes, “I love your sister. She’s my partner in every sense of the word.” He smiled, “and for some reason she sees the best in me, no matter what horrible secrets I tell her.”

Samantha shook her head wistfully as she turned towards the bathroom.

* * *

Felicity insisted that her sister crash at her place. Oliver and Samantha both argued that it wouldn’t be a good idea if Darkh showed up and saw them together, but with an impromptu disguise and Felicity’s assurance that she wouldn’t hold it against Oliver if the local vigilantes took turns watching her place the women found themselves sprawled on the living room floor of the townhouse eating mint chip ice cream.

Felicity stuck her spoon in the carton and sighed, “I should have bought more red wine. Tonight is definitely a night for drinking.” Samantha smiled and stared at the blonde sitting next to her. Felicity noticed out of the corner of her eye and cleared her throat, but her sister was still staring. “What?” she let out louder than intended as she turned her head towards the brunette.

Samantha laughed, “Nothing really, it’s just,” she sat up straighter, using the couch as support, “The last time we spent time together like this you were a brown-haired munchkin trying to convince me that 6 hours in front of the computer was not an unhealthy habit. And now,” she looked wistfully around the room, “You’re this amazing blonde genius with a penchant for red wine and really hot billionaires in leather.”

Felicity wrinkled her nose, “Former billionaire, but the rest is true.” After a beat they both burst into giggles. Samantha couldn’t remember the last time she felt this normal. Her mood shifted as the reason for her visit made its way back to the forefront of her mind. As her face dropped she picked at the chipped polish on her toenails. Felicity noticed the change and nudged her sister’s shoulder. “Speaking of my on-call hero. Thank you for helping him in Russia.”

“What?” Samantha turned her head quickly, trying to catch whatever facial expression had accompanied her sister’s words.

Felicity bit her lower lip, “Oliver told me about,” she cleared her throat and waved her hand around, “all of that.”

Samantha lowered her eyes, “You probably think I was crazy for putting myself in that position.”

“No!” Felicity sat up, placing her hand on her sister’s knee, “I think you did what you thought you had to do, and you helped him in the process. I’m not naïve or delusional, I know you likely had your own motivations for everything that went down with the Bratva concerning Oliver but,” Felicity took back her hand and stood up with the ice cream, “You didn’t screw him over and that says more about you than anything else.”

Samantha watched the blonde walk to the kitchen, losing sight of her before she reached the freezer. She raised her voice so she could hear her from the other room, “He didn’t really know me there. I filled him in earlier while you and Diggle were out – he thought I was Anatoly’s niece, but really dad had planted me there and Anatoly found me out. I think he knew Oliver wouldn’t be able to do what it took to survive so he put me in a position to help him. Though I had alternatives, the best option was simply to grin and bear dealing with Oliver and anything Anatoly and the Bratva threw at us.” Samantha looked up as Felicity came around the side of the couch with a bottle of water, reaching it out towards her sister. “Thanks,” Samantha said as she smiled.

“Alternatives like what?” Felicity asked as she sat at the end of the couch.

Samantha took a sip of water before answering, “Being exposed to the brotherhood as a spy, being left to fend for myself in the brotherhood while being thwarted at every turn and never getting the information I needed anyway, or being sent back to HIVE empty-handed and having to explain to dad that I got caught.”She sighed and rubbed her hand over her face, too tired to sugar coat anything. “Having seemingly unwilling sex with Oliver was really far down the list of bad things that could happen to me.”

Felicity snorted, “Yeah, sex and Oliver are two things I don’t see anyone ever complaining about.” She closed her eyes and grimaced as Samantha held back a laugh, “I said that out loud didn’t I?”

Her sister shook her head and finally let the laugh escape, “I can’t believe we’re this close to sharing notes.”

Felicity stuck her tongue out, “Please let’s not, it’s bad enough most of his sexual history is easily accessible online thanks to the tabloids and I know enough of his exes to last a lifetime.”

Samantha stood and sat on the couch next to her sister, taking her free hand in both of hers, “You know that for him it’s completely different with you, right?” She waited for Felicity to look at her before continuing, “In Russia I never heard him laugh. I’m not even sure I ever saw him smile. And yet he does so easily now.” Felicity smiled as Samantha continued, “Except when you left the lair for a bit today, then he was Bratva Oliver again, trying to kick my ass.” Samantha smiled, “And then we started talking about you and that new Oliver was back again. You are the only one with notes on that one.”

Felicity pulled Samantha in for a hug, “I really am glad you came. I don’t think I can handle dad on my own.”

Samantha rubbed her sister’s back in reassurance, “You aren’t alone Felicity. But I understand that it’s hard to remember that sometimes when it comes to family.”

Looking at the time and considering the heavy tone the night had taken the sisters called it a night. Oliver and Thea watched from their posts across the street as the lights in the townhouse went out. Over the coms they checked in with Dig and Laurel, who were trading off shifts in the alley behind the building.

Thea turned to her brother, “Now will you call it a night? I told you, I’ve got this shift and we will call you first thing if anything seems out of place.”

Oliver smiled and gave his sister a hug, “Thanks, Speedy. See you at 6.”


	4. Surprises

Samantha woke with a start, immediately focusing on her breathing to get it under control and determine if it was the dream or her environment that threatened her. A noise, in Felicity’s room across the hall. She glanced at the clock – 5:30. Too early for Felicity to be up certainly. What if something’s wrong? Samantha quietly slipped from the bed and cracked open the door to take in her surroundings. The sun was rising, allowing some light into the townhouse. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but there were definitely shuffling noises coming from Felicity’s room. Samantha stood still, waiting for an indication of whether this should be concerning, hearing her sister’s whining gasp spurred her into action.

As she threw open the bedroom door she immediately regretted her vigilance. Her very naked little sister was sprawled out on her back with the head of a half-naked Oliver Queen between her thighs. They both jumped and instinctively grabbed the sheet to cover Felicity. Samantha’s eyes widened and she quickly diverted her gaze towards the hallway, one hand coming up to shield her face from the room. “Uh, wow, yeah, sorry guys, I um…heard noises and didn’t think.” She let out an embarrassed chuckle as she put down her hand to grab the doorknob and close the door, “So I’m just going to let you finish what you’re doing and,” she pointed towards the hallway with her other hand, still avoiding looking at the pair on the bed, “make coffee. Or something.”

As Samantha stood in the hallway, shaking her head to try to dislodge the mental image she heard Felicity groan, “I told you we were going to wake her up.”

Oliver’s deep chuckle followed, “Well you’re the one who can’t keep quiet.”

Samantha grimaced and quickly made her way to the kitchen, there was no way she’d be able to go back to sleep now so coffee it is.

She was still trying to find the coffee filters when she heard the bedroom door close and footsteps in the hallway. “If you’re looking for the filters they’re in the cabinet over the fridge,” Oliver called out from the doorway of the kitchen.

Samantha cleared her throat and threw a “thanks” over her shoulder. She could barely reach them so she finally turned to Oliver, “How does Felicity reach them?”

Oliver smiled, “Keeping them there means she has to get out the stepstool, limiting how often she can make a pot of coffee and keeping both me and Dig sane.”

Samantha smiled and shook her head, “She’s always been a caffeine fiend.” She continued talking as she set up the coffee, “One time when she was 6 or 7, I came home from work and she was just chittering away, a string of nonsense words as she worked on her latest computer build. Her tongue was hanging out but pressed into the corner of her mouth in between rants. Her hands steady but her eyes vibrating. I thought she was having a stroke.” Samantha turned to look at Oliver, who had moved to sit at the counter, smiling. She leaned against the sink, crossing her arms over her chest as she continued, “Turns out Donna had been at work all day, thinking dad would be home to watch Lissy, but he wasn’t. He had already started the spiral that ended up with us leaving. So fending for herself she spent all day working on her tech, and no one was there to stop the pot after pot of coffee that she downed as she did it.” Samantha stared wistfully at the floor, lost in the memory, “When I saw her like that I yelled at her, ‘Lissy what the hell happened to you?’ She just looked up at me, this huge grin on her face and said, ‘I can hear the electricity, Sammy!’”

Oliver’s smiled widened, “What’d you do?”

Samantha looked up at him, “I took her to the park to run it off, but we never made it there because she crashed about a block from the house. I had to carry her home.”

Oliver looked down at his hands as his fingers slowly ran over the countertop surface, “Some things never change –just last week I had to do the same thing.”

The two finally met each others’ gaze. Samantha cleared her throat, “Sorry for bursting in earlier. I hadn’t heard you come in the front door – how did you get in by the way?”

Oliver tilted his head as he answered, “I have a key.”

Samantha rolled her eyes, “Of course you do. I’m sorry I should’ve realized I’m in the middle of a normal routine for you two. Do you normally stay here overnight, or Felicity at your place, or do you guys do the each their own space thing?”

Oliver answered quietly, “We usually play it by ear, whoever’s place is closest, whoever needs to do laundry, whoever is currently being stalked by psycho family members.” Samantha snorted but he continued, his tone serious, “We both sleep better when the other is nearby. We’ve been through a lot and are still working through some things so I relieved the guard duty earlier than planned.”

Before they could say anything else Felicity walked into the doorway of the kitchen, freshly showered and sniffing the air. Samantha let her sister get the first cup and then prepared her own before excusing herself to get dressed and ready for the day ahead of them.

* * *

Felicity and Oliver left for work at their usual time, keeping up appearances in case Darkh was watching. Samantha waited until dusk fell and then made her way back to the hideout. Diggle had arrived early, hoping to have some extra time to talk with her and relieve the uncertainty he felt. When he heard the door to the lair he positioned himself against the gun cabinet, hoping he wouldn’t need his backup plan. As Samantha’s steps slowed on the stairs he looked up at her – she was scanning the room, confusion showing on a very Felicity-like face. “Noone else here yet?”

Diggle solidified his stance and looked her in the eye as he spoke, “Nope. Just you and me for about,” he spared a glance at his watch, “20 minutes.”

“Oh,” Samantha swung her free arm, the other holding her shoulder bag strap tightly as she gave him a wide berth. “Did you wanna maybe spar while we wait?” She stopped and turned to face him from across the room, “Or was this as deliberate as it seems and we need to have a conversation?”

Diggle let his lips curl up and rubbed his chin, “That depends on whether there’s anything I need to know.” Samantha tilted her head, reminding John Diggle again that this was Felicity’s sister. He couldn’t help but shake his head and relax his posture, “Look, I get you have the whole family angle going on, and whatever favors you pulled for Oliver in Russia are keeping him from locking you out the way I know he would have done had you been anyone else, but HIVE killed my brother and I am not going to look past that easily.” He took a step forward as he spoke, “I won’t trust you unless you give me a reason to.”

Samantha nodded and walked over to Felicity’s desk. “I thought you might feel that way so I brought you a gift.”

“What kind of gift?”

Samantha smirked and pulled a folder from her bag. Turning she held it out to him. “The kind that could make you hate me but will answer your questions about Deadshot.”

John raised his eyebrows and walked towards her, taking the file. Quickly skimming through its contents he started shaking his head. “This is the HIVE file on Lawton.”

Samantha sighed and pulled another file from her bag, “And this is the HIVE file on Andy Diggle, including coded information on who really wanted him dead.”

Diggle turned his head to look at her, stunned. “I thought HIVE ordered the kill?”

Samantha shook her head, still holding out the file, “HIVE offers favors just like anyone else.”

He looked from her face to the file and back again, “Is that what this all is? A favor? Save Felicity, give me some files, and then we owe you?”

Samantha shook her head and placed the file on the table beside her, “No. Being here is about protecting my sister. These files are penance.”

“Penance for what?”

Samantha sighed before answering, “For the deaths I’ve been a part of.”

Diggle and Samantha continued their stare down as Oliver and Felicity entered the lair, their light conversation halting as they took in the pair before them. “Guys?” Felicity said slowly, “What’s going on?”

Oliver walked towards Diggle and put a hand on his shoulder while keeping an eye on Samantha, “Everything alright, John?”

Diggle turned to look at Oliver, “I don’t know yet.” He returned his gaze to Samantha, not letting it drop as he walked over to grab the other file and headed for the stairs. Glancing quickly towards Oliver and Felicity he threw his jacket over the arm holding the files, “I’m going to do some work from home tonight. Call me if you need me.”

After the lair door shut Oliver put his hands in his pockets and both he and Felicity turned towards Samantha, keeping some distance. “What did you do?” his voice was low, but not threatening.

Felicity’s ponytail bobbed as she quickly looked between Oliver and her sister, “Sammy?”

Samantha smiled at Felicity, “I gave him some HIVE files on a shooting he’s been concerned with for far too long.”

“Deadshot,” Felicity murmured.

Samantha nodded. “I want to make sure we start on the right foot.”

Oliver took a step towards her, still talking in his low voice, “There’s something else though, isn’t there?”

Samantha couldn’t help the look of guilt that crossed her face, “He may read that I was the lead on the team that created Deadshot and accepted the contract on his brother.”

Oliver sighed and went to change into his workout clothes. This was going to be a long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be going back to the Bratva flashbacks in the next chapter or two - Russia 5 years ago has a specific place in current events. Updates will probably slow down once I get into the meat of it all - so far how these characters come together has happened very easily in my head, and though I have the main events outlined I see some resistance for lining everything up, though so far I'm 2 chapters ahead of where I thought I'd be so that's something :)


	5. The Event

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This is the chapter about the hinted about/mentioned rape in Russia. This chapter only contains that so if you don't want to read it, you can skip to the next chapter (which I will post immediately after this one goes up) and not miss any major plot points. 
> 
> I wrote this chapter in order to answer questions about Oliver's state of mind during the specific event in Russia, how Samantha handled it, and so anyone interested in knowing how it all went down can know.

* * *

**_Four and a half years ago - Russia_ **

Oliver was pacing in his room. Samantha had been so calm as they discussed the plan for tonight. How could she be so calm? Two weeks ago when he went to her with his decision they were both nervous, but as the certainty of his change in status among the Bratva became clear in daily interactions with Anatoly’s men she drew into herself and made it clear that this was inevitable. “Sometimes there isn’t another way, Oliver,” she stated with finality just before making herself scarce. It would be more believable if they distance themselves. It would be easier on him if they didn’t. He needed confirmation that she was still okay with it.

A knock on his door stopped his pacing. The man on the other side didn’t wait for a response before entering the room. “Anatoly requests your presence.”

Oliver steeled his features before looking up, “Of course.” He took a deep breath before following the man to Anatoly’s study. He had been prepared for this step but was still surprised by the sheer number of men who fit into the small room to witness the declaration.

Anatoly gave Oliver a small nod of recognition as the door closed behind him. Oliver mentally checked that his mask of indifference was in place and began, “You called for me?”

Anatoly smiled, “It is time to repay you for your loyalty to the brotherhood. I have requested the men here to allow your acceptance as a Captain.”

Oliver faked a smile, “Thank you, that is a tremendous honor.”

Anatoly cleared his throat, pretending that the next statement had not been a topic of discussion with the young man for the last two weeks, “Of course, they require a show of commitment. There is one thing they must witness from you before this is certain.”

Oliver braced himself mentally and drew on his inner Ollie, “Of course, whatever it is I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

A man next to Anatoly spoke up, “A woman. You must show us you can dominate.”

Oliver didn’t let his fake smile falter, “That is definitely not a problem. Women generally don’t tell me no. Is there a particular one in mind or…”

The men laughed before he could finish. Anatoly grimaced as the next part of the charade came into play, “My niece.”

Oliver could finally let the smile drop, “She has no interest in me.”

The man beside Anatoly grinned, a bit too happily, “Exactly. You must take her, and we will watch.”

Oliver cleared his throat. This was the declaration that was required. His willingness to follow the brotherhood, no question, even against family. Mimicking the man before him he grinned, “Just tell me when.”

The men laughed and pushed him out the study door. Standing in the hallway were two Bratva men and a blindfolded and bound Samantha. Oliver could only take a second to wonder what would’ve happened if he had lost the nerve and said no. He almost faltered in his steps when Samantha cried out, “Who’s there? Please, what’s happening?” Oliver shook his head and reminded himself that she was playing a part. God he hoped she was still playing a part.

“It will be fine, my dear,” Anatoly walked to her side but avoided touching her. The men turned her and walked her ahead of Oliver, the mob of men from the study keeping him from slowing.

Samantha kept up her questions and requests for assurances as they made their way to the basement but no one responded until they set her down on a pile of blankets in the corner. The man who had taken charge in the study pulled off her blindfold and leaned in to ensure she could hear him, “You’re going to like this.” He ran the back of his hand down her cheek, smacking her when she pulled away.

Oliver stepped forward before Anatoly could stop him. The man kneeling by Samantha glared at him, a look of triumph in his eyes. He was taunting Oliver, hoping he’d show an unwillingness to hurt her. Oliver spoke before his brain could register what he was doing, “I thought she was mine.”

The man’s face flashed briefly with anger and then calmed, breaking out into a grin, “Of course.” Oliver returned the grin and then stepped forward. As soon as he was close enough so that the men were behind him and only Samantha could see his face he dropped the grin and caught her gaze, looking for any sign that the plan had changed. He cleared his throat and addressed the men without turning to look at them, “Are there any rules to this?”

The men laughed as Anatoly responded, his voice cold and stern, “The only rule is that you must dominate, no matter her wishes. Make her yours and you will leave this basement a Captain.”

Oliver nodded to show he had heard and Samantha began her protests. They had discussed this part of it but it still cut Oliver to his soul. He closed out his mind and concentrated on the task before him, using the focus techniques Samantha had taught him to become someone else – where and why she had learned them he didn’t want to know. Walking towards her he grabbed her before she could move further into the corner. With her hands bound in front of her he easily flipped her over onto her knees as they had discussed. They reasoned that it would be easier if he couldn’t see her face. She had also worn a skirt today in anticipation of this event, wanting to give Oliver fewer barriers he had to overcome. She screamed and the men chuckled.

Oliver moved as quickly as possible, luckily none of the men could see the fear and self-admonishment on his face. The guilt already settling into him when he heard her gasp as his fingers reached between her thighs, they hadn’t planned this but he wanted to ensure she was wet enough that this wouldn’t be rougher than necessary. He quietly sighed in relief when he felt that she had prepped herself before the men grabbed her from wherever she had been taken from. Last week when he had expressed his fear of hurting her she had said she’d make herself ready – he hadn’t asked for clarification or specifics and hadn’t given it another thought since, but right now he needed something to harden himself enough to pull this off so he allowed himself to dwell on the possibilities for a moment as he opened his pants. He could let the guilt of fantasizing haunt him later, right now it was about survival.

He took a breath and ripped her underwear, much to the amusement of the men who had filled the room behind him. He quickly entered her and, mentally disconnected from his physical body, finished sooner than he thought he could but relieved that he had been able to cut her discomfort short. As he fixed his pants and Samantha collapsed on her side, whimpering, he repeated the mantra in his head, “She did this willingly. It’s just an act.”

The men cheered and clapped him on the back, welcoming their new Captain. Two men went to pick up Samantha and Oliver froze. He quickly looked for Anatoly who gave him a nod and went towards her himself. “I will take care of her and ensure her understanding,” he shooed the men. With that assurance Oliver allowed the men to guide him from the room for celebrations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know some of you will question why Oliver would be okay with this. He wasn't. He clearly wasn't. But she said she wanted this to happen, they had conditioned him for 2 weeks to accept that she was okay with him doing this. And as we saw with Al-Sahim, he can close himself off and do some really bad things when he thinks it will save someone's life. So I think I wrote this as on character as I could given that the Bratva helped turned Oliver into The Hood.


	6. Aftermath

It had been nearly a week since his ascension to Captain and Oliver was starting to worry about the lack of Samantha in Anatoly’s house. She was never at her room when he knocked, she was no longer sparring, and none of the men mentioned her. He began to worry that the men had picked up on his trepidation during what he was calling ‘the event’ in his head. Maybe they had sensed her hidden willingness. But worst of all, maybe she hadn’t actually been willing. This could explain Anatoly’s suddenly strange hours as well. The guilt ate at him even as he went through the motions of meeting with the men each day.

Each night he woke, shaking from dreams of Samantha’s whimpering form, her protests echoing in his mind. He spent more and more time working out, draining his energy in order to force rest. Tonight he couldn’t sleep at all and made his way downstairs to work over the punching bag, but someone was already there.

“Samantha?” he said more as a statement of relief than a question. She stopped and turned towards him, grimacing. His guilt swirled within him, his relief quickly replaced with nervousness. He cleared his throat, “I was getting worried that they did something to you after…” He looked down at his feet and cleared his throat again. “I was getting worried since you haven’t been around.”

Samantha smiled lightly, removing the tape from her hands and walking towards him, “Anatoly and I are working on something and it would’ve been suspicious if you and I were friendly after what happened.” She shook her head, “Don’t worry about me. After you stopped Marko from roughing me up the men consider me your property.”

Oliver tilted his head, confused.

She placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly, “It’s actually a good thing and something I hadn’t considered before…” she sighed, “well, before.”

“Yes, we need to discuss that,” Anatoly added from behind Oliver, making the young man jump. The Russian waved them into his study. Sitting behind his desk he motioned for them to sit in the chairs in front of it.

“Are you sure it’s time?” Samantha started the conversation, clearly aware of what Anatoly had wanted to discuss.

Anatoly nodded, “Yes. Long enough to seem that you were shamed but not so long as to make you seem disloyal.”

Oliver looked between the two before jumping in, “Time for what?”

Anatoly sighed, “Samantha will be moving into your room. You will need to make it appear that she has taken on the role of a Bratva woman, and at your request. She knows what that will take and will guide you.”

Oliver shook his head, “I don’t understand.”

Anatoly pulled out a bottle of vodka from his desk, filling three shot glasses and pushing two forward. “We need to keep up appearances until this is over with.”

“Until what’s over with?” Oliver questioned.

Anatoly raised his shot glass in salute, “Until my life is no longer in danger and you can leave Russia with limited damage.” The man smiled. Samantha picked up a shot glass and nodded toward Oliver’s. He picked it up as Anatoly stood, “Prochnost.” After he downed his shot he added, “Strength. We’ll need it.”

Oliver and Samantha repeated, “Prochnost,” and grimaced as the vodka hit the back of their throats.

* * *

 

Oliver and Samantha were sparring when Diggle returned to the lair the next night after Samantha gave him the files. Felicity looked up from her seat at the computers, which were still busy running down her father’s aliases. The pain on his face was evident so she stood to hug him. “How bad is it?” she whispered in his ear.

He returned her embrace and sighed, “I won’t hurt her, Felicity.”

She pulled back to look at his face but kept her arms around his shoulders, “That’s not what I asked, John.”

He pulled away but caught her hands in his, “I have a lot of questions but it didn’t benefit her to give me those files so right now I’m as okay as I could be given what I’ve been reading the last few hours.”

Felicity smiled, turning back towards her computers so Diggle could move to the training mats where Oliver stood ready, waiting for a sign of what was next. He relaxed when Dig nodded towards him, “I was thinking that we could go pick up dinner, catch up a little while the girls handle the computer searches.”

Oliver nodded, “Let me clean up.”

Samantha looked uncertain but Diggle barely acknowledged her. The lair was silent until Oliver returned and asked Felicity if Chinese was okay. She nodded and they left, the click of the door latching echoing through the room.

Diggle and Oliver drove to their regular Chinese place in silence. After pulling up to the curb and shutting off the engine Dig leaned forward to rest his forearms on the steering wheel, staring off down the street through the windshield. From the passenger seat Oliver stared at his friend, waiting for him to start. After a few minutes the troubled man sat back in his seat with a sigh. “Can we trust her, man?”

Oliver turned his head, his turn to stare off in the distance, “Honestly, I’m not sure.”

Diggle huffed out a nervous laugh, “What the hell happened in Russia? Who is she, really?” Diggle paused before continuing, turning towards the other man, “I mean she says she’s Felicity’s sister, and she definitely shares some of her quirks, but all we know for certain is that she’s HIVE. Or am I missing something?”

Oliver shook his head, turning towards Dig before responding, “You’re not missing anything.” He cleared his throat, trying to decide how much he needed to tell his friend about his Bratva life. He sighed, taking in their surroundings and licking his lips before continuing, “Five years ago in Russia, she helped me, more than once, but I didn’t know who she really was at the time. And she helped me because she was in a tough spot herself. Whether that was the only reason, I don’t know. But I know she’s admitted to lying, and I’ve seen her ability to deceive firsthand, so I understand if you don’t trust her.”Oliver shook his head again, grimacing, “John, I’m only considering listening to her because of Felicity.”

Diggle huffed out a laugh, “Yeah, me too, man.”

As John reached for the door handle Oliver stopped him with a question, “Was she really the one who handled point on your brother’s murder?”

Dig dropped his forehead to the driver’s side window, “That’s what the files suggest. Lyla is working on getting some information from ARGUS to confirm a few things though.”

Oliver nodded and opened his door so they could order dinner and get back to the lair.


	7. Family

_“John, I’m only considering listening to her because of Felicity.”_

_Diggle huffed out a laugh, “Yeah, me too, man.”_

_As John reached for the door handle Oliver stopped him with a question, “Was she really the one who handled point on your brother’s murder?”_

_Dig dropped his forehead to the driver’s side window, “That’s what the files suggest. Lyla is working on getting some information from ARGUS to confirm a few things though.”_

_Oliver nodded and opened his door so they could order dinner and get back to the lair._

 

Thea and Laurel had arrived at the lair while Dig and Oliver were out. The guys walked in to find the two in protective stances behind Felicity’s chair, pretending to discuss a case with their tech expert while stealing glances at Samantha as she worked out. They tensed when the lair door opened but visibly relaxed when they heard Oliver’s voice, “Good thing we placed our usual order.”

Thea turned towards her brother, taking in his attempt to lighten the atmosphere and letting one corner of her mouth curl up, “You didn’t forget spring rolls this time did you?”

He smiled and brushed past her, “Sorry, I decided they were too good for you and ate them on the way here.”

Thea gave a fake scoff and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, “You always threaten to do that.”

Felicity got up from her chair and quickly shuffled to the table where Oliver had placed the bags of food, sidling up between him and Thea, “I know you two are joking around right now, but you really didn’t forget them or eat them right?” She placed her chin on his shoulder, “Because I really, really want one.”

Oliver quickly kissed her forehead and pulled out the package of spring rolls, “Anything for the women I love.”

Felicity fist pumped as Thea clapped her fingers together playfully, both let out a resounding “Yay!” and then giggled before tearing through the other containers as they settled into their routine.

Oliver turned to find Laurel sizing up Samantha. He glanced over and saw Diggle watching out of the corner of his eye while helping the other two with the food. Slowly walking towards Laurel Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder, talking low so no one else could hear, “I know you’re worried.” Laurel looked over her shoulder at the others before turning to face her old friend. Oliver recognized the look she was giving him and shook his head, “I won’t tell you not to be. There’s a lot we don’t know and after we eat we’ll all talk.”

Laurel smiled, relieved, “Have I told you lately that I’m glad you got your common sense back?” Oliver’s smile was tight-lipped but he squeezed her shoulder before releasing it so she could go eat with the others. She started to walk away but quickly turned back, “So no patrol tonight?”

Oliver put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, “Not unless something major happens. There’s too much to sort through at the moment.”

Laurel nodded in acknowledgement and walked away. Oliver turned towards Samantha, “If you’re hungry there’s plenty to share.” He didn’t wait for her response before walking over to join his family.

A while later, Samantha was sitting on the training mats, picking at the lo mein Felicity had offered her as Team Arrow caught up with the information Felicity’s searches and Dig’s files had provided. When Samantha’s name came up she caught the slight flicker of their gazes towards her, but she didn’t flinch. Felicity was quick to point out that she was family, but her part in HIVE muted any enthusiasm that should bring. As Diggle added in the final pieces, Oliver sighed, “So where does this leave us? No hits on aliases, no new info on what he wants, and nothing in the Deadshot files that relates to present day.”

“There’s me,” Samantha’s voice echoed through the room as the team members turned her way.

Oliver and Diggle both squared their shoulders, crossing their arms across their chests. The sight of how in sync the men were made Samantha shake her head as she stood. Walking over to the table and setting down her neglected takeout box she continued, “Dad has been making messes in Starling for a long time, and not once did he make a move for Felicity. So the real questions are ‘why now’? and what was in the personnel file he let you into that he wanted you to find?”

“You think this is all about him getting to his daughter?” Thea stated more than asked.

Samantha nodded, “That’s always been in his game plan. When I left Vegas with him the agreement had been that he would leave Lissy alone, but when she got accepted to MIT he changed the terms of our agreement.”

Felicity placed her hand on her sister’s arm, “Then why did you stay with him?”

Samantha pursed her lips, opening her mouth to answer before grimacing it shut. She glanced around the table before settling her gaze on Felicity’s hand, which was still on her arm. Samantha closed her eyes and sighed, stepping back from the table and running her hands through her hair. She sat in Felicity’s chair by the computers, setting her elbows on her knees and hanging her head. Samantha stared at the floor to settle her thoughts. “The terms,” she choked out, emotion evident. Clearing her throat she continued, “The new terms he imposed were that I was in too deep to be allowed to leave HIVE intact. So this negated any leverage I had and made Felicity and Donna fair game. He showed me detailed directives he had in place to remove Donna from the equation if I didn’t comply.”

Felicity gasped and walked towards her sister but stopped a few steps away, “Why?”

Samantha looked up at Felicity, “Why did he use Donna against me or why did that work?”

“Both,” Oliver responded from the table.

Samantha nodded, “He found out that I had been in touch with Donna. He knew I considered her family.”

“HIVE wasn’t your family?” Diggle interjected, distrust still showing through his tone.

Samantha shook her head, “If that was family then they need to redefine dysfunctional,” her voice raised in an impassioned plea for understanding, “because if you think the League is messed up, you should meet my father and his idea of camaraderie. Shit, he sent his own daughter to infiltrate the Russian mafia knowing full well what that would entail for her. Hint, the Bratva see women as a commodity.” Samantha sighed and lowered her voice, “And he did everything he could to hide that from me so I wasn’t even prepared when I went in.”

Felicity walked over to Oliver and wrapped her arms around his bicep when he grunted at the direction the conversation was taking. Samantha dropped her head again and kept talking, “I only mention that because it both proves my point and I think it’s relevant to now.”

“Relevant how?” Laurel added, trying to put the pieces together.

Samantha rubbed a hand over her face, “Oliver’s Russian friend Anatoly. HIVE wanted something with him 5 years ago. I never asked too many questions but now’s the time to ask those questions and he owes me.”

“I thought he helped you escape the Bratva, don’t _you_ owe _him_?” Oliver asked.

Samantha looked up at him and grinned, “That was him tying up loose ends. The favor he owes me for is much bigger.”

“How much bigger?” Diggle asked as he dropped his arms to his side.

“Saving his life from Deadshot big,” Samantha said, broadening her grin to a smile.

Diggle huffed in disbelief, “You created Deadshot, of course you could tell him to back off.”

Samantha shook her head, “It’s true that I headed the team that picked Floyd Lawton and gave him the means and motivation to become Deadshot. It’s also true that I handled HIVE’s end of the contract on Andy Diggle. Once Lawton was established as a HIVE asset I handled his directives based on contracts issued from above me, but he also started freelancing with the approval of someone other than me. When I was sent to Russia dad took over the assets I handled, including Deadshot. I didn’t know there was an ulterior motive to sending me away until,” Samantha quickly glanced at Oliver, hoping he understood where she was going with this.

He looked up when Samantha paused and realized it was time for him to interject, “Until I saved Anatoly’s life?”

Thea and Laurel quickly looked at Oliver in surprise. Samantha simply nodded, “Shortly after that, about 2 to 3 weeks after that to be exact.”

Oliver glanced around at the team. This is part of the conversation he had avoided but if his time with Samantha in Russia had anything to do with Felicity’s father coming after her, he was going to have to swallow his guilt and deal with it. He took one of Felicity’s hands in his for support and, looking at Samantha, made his decision, “Continue – and don’t leave out anything that’s relevant.”

Samantha nodded in acknowledgement. He had just given her free reign to tell the team anything and everything.


	8. Ghosts

_A little over 4 years ago_

Oliver always seemed to come in at the end of a conversation. Samantha and Anatoly were up to something and they wouldn’t tell him anything beyond that he didn’t need to know yet. He was supposed to keep up appearances with the Bratva men, both with training and bragging about his exploits with the brunette who now shared his bed. In reality they traded off sleeping on the floor. The guilt and regret about their forced physical moment remained unspoken and slowly evaporated as they settled into a sense of paranoid normalcy. It would be easier on Oliver’s conscience if Samantha showed any intention of wanting something beyond their platonic detente, but even as the two developed a seemingly friendly co-existence she was secretive and he was untrusting. Part of him was relieved, the lack of any sort of relationship would be one less complication, but another part of him was ashamed that he could never make what he did right with her.

Oliver had saved Anatoly from the sniper and ascended to Captain 2 months ago and the Bratva still hadn’t found who had targeted his friend. He spent most of the day training and working out, developing an affection for the salmon ladder he found in one of the Bratva-run gyms near the bar serving as Anatoly’s office. Pushing his muscles to synchronize in order to move up and down the notched sides of the ladder forced him to focus, his grip on the metal bar steadying his mind. He let out his anxiety and uncertainty, allowing precision and focus to take its place. He could think clearly in these moments when he was pushing his body to its limits, and more and more often he found himself considering his future and where that should be.

On a particularly quiet day he was pulled from his usual ruminations by shouts from the front of the gym. He dropped from the bar of the ladder and turned to find Samantha coming towards him, much to the dismay of the Bratva men by the door. Her face was set in stern determination so Oliver nodded to the guards to let her through. He used his head to signal her to follow him back towards the changing rooms, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from his face and neck and as he walked.

When they were alone enough for a private conversation Samantha wasted no time in stating the purpose of her visit, “We have a problem.”

Oliver nodded, “Which is?”

“I found the person who took the shot at Anatoly.”

Oliver grimaced, tensing his body for action, “Who and where?”

Samantha shook her head, “He’s already dead.” Oliver’s face dropped, confused, so Samantha continued, “Whoever hired him wasn’t happy that he missed. That’s not the problem though – the new guy they hired is going to be difficult to shake, and he uses poisoned rounds so any hit is deadly.”

Oliver let his face show his aggravation as he spit out his next question with a tensed jaw, “Who hired them, Samantha?”

Something flickered across her face, but Oliver didn’t quite catch it before she began to answer him, “A man named Damien Darkh.”

Oliver dropped his head, nodding, “I heard someone telling Anatoly about him months ago, before you came to the house. But I don’t know who it was. It’s why I joined the Bratva.” Oliver licked his lips, looking around to ensure they were still alone before looking Samantha in the eye, “What do we do?”

Samantha sighed, “I have some connections,” she cleared her throat, “outside the Bratva that may help us defuse this. But…”

“But what?”

“The night Anatoly was shot? The supplier he was supposed to meet wasn’t at the meeting location. The whole thing was a setup.”

“A setup?” Oliver brought his face closer to Samantha’s, sharing breathing space as daggers passed between their eyes, “Someone in the Bratva?”

Samantha stood her ground and nodded, “We have a mole.”

Oliver pinched his eyes shut and took a step back. On one hand he began rubbing his thumb and index finger together, trying to relieve the pressure in his mind. He was itching for a bow in his hand, for the soft sound of a nocked arrow taking flight as he released the string. Some days he missed the simplicity of the island, the way it was after Fyers, before Ivo.

Samantha took a step forward and placed a hand on his elbow, “The plan is that you and Anatoly will work on outing the mole, and I will work on my contacts to get the hit cleared.”

Oliver nodded in acknowledgement then headed for the showers. Samantha took a deep breath and left the gym. A block outside Bratva territory she dialed a number she hadn’t used in months. The other end picked up after two rings but remained silent.

“Lawton, I need to meet.”

His low chuckle answered the request, “I don’t answer to you any more, Princess.”

“It’s a personal request. I think we’re both being played. Figured I’d give you the opportunity to decide for yourself.”

After a moment of wondering if she’d hit the right buttons Floyd Lawton’s teasing voice made its way to her ear, “I’m in Moscow at the moment.”

“So am I,” she quickly responded, catching him off guard just as she’d hoped, “Have been since we were forcibly separated.”

“Maybe you’re right then,” he sighed, “Tonight. Text me where.”

She disconnected the call without responding. She had one more call to make before deciding on a location for the meet and she was eager to get it over with.

* * *

 The lair was quiet after Samantha filled in the team on her time with Anatoly and HIVE’s infiltration of the Bratva. Oliver let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding – she hadn’t touched upon the entirety of his connection to her and though he had already told all of those dark secrets to Felicity, and wouldn’t shy away from the repercussions of the rest of his family knowing, he was thankful that today wasn’t the day to deal with that. Maybe after Damien Darkh was handled he’d sit down and start breaking down the few walls he still kept up. Felicity squeezed his hand, pulling him from his thoughts. He glanced at her face and knew that she realized his relief as well.

Diggle was the first to break the silence, “So Anatoly could have information to help us?”

Samantha nodded, “The mole he and Oliver discovered, Anatoly has all of the background information on him. I didn’t know HIVE had another agent embedded – I still don’t know what the plan was for putting me in play. I pretended to not know, or care, when I returned to the fold. Being the dutiful daughter allowed me access, and even then I couldn’t uncover anything from inside. Whatever dad’s plan was, it was kept private.”

Oliver’s brow furrowed, contemplating what Samantha had just said, “How did you return to the fold exactly? Anatoly faked your death, the death of his niece anyway, for the Bratva, because your father left you no exit strategy, and then you just what? Walked into HIVE headquarters and gave Darkh a hug?”

Samantha closed her eyes and pursed her lips, answering in a quiet voice, “I had to prove I still had something to offer HIVE, to offer him.”

The look on her face made something inside Oliver clench. This was no longer his partner’s sister but the scheming woman he knew in Russia. He stepped out of Felicity’s grasp, putting himself between his team and the questionable brunette, “Samantha?”

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy but defiant. “Oliver?”

His body tensed, running through what he remembered from Russia and comparing it to her version. There must be something he was missing. But it was probably something between Anatoly and Samantha that he hadn’t been a part of. His instinct told him though that he must be a part of it. She was here now, and there’s a reason for that. Why show herself now if Felicity had been in danger for months.

He took another step towards her, “No more deflection. You know what I’m capable of.” The team behind him shuffled slightly, the low register of his voice signaling that he expected danger.

Samantha held his gaze and stood from the chair. Taking a step towards him she held her ground, almost taunting him with her low voice, “What I promised my father I’ve taken back. He didn’t like that I did that, but I did it anyway. Like I said when I arrived, I’ve burned some bridges.” Noting that the tension in his body hadn’t eased she continued, raising her voice to ensure everyone could hear her, “There is no more returning to HIVE for me. I made promises I couldn’t keep to stay there as long as I did, and I’m not willing to sacrifice anyone else.”

Felicity walked up to Oliver’s side, a hand on his elbow, “My mom’s due to check in soon and I need to set up a secure line for you to call Anatoly.”

Oliver nodded, not willing to take his eyes off Samantha. The guilt on her face told him that something just wasn’t right. He’d have to ask Anatoly what she’d left out.


	9. Blood

_**A little over 4 years ago** _

It was times like these that Oliver came close to appreciating the skills Waller had taught him. Anatoly had been bringing him men who could have potentially turned on the Bratva and the one currently bound to the chair in front of them was turning out to be the best candidate. While the others had begged and espoused their loyalty while being questioned, this one had been silent and obstinate, leading to his current state. Oliver picked up a small knife from his arsenal of tools on the metal table by the door and slowly walked towards the bloodied man.

“That smirk on your face will come off eventually,” Oliver growled in what Starling City criminals would come to know as his Arrow voice.

“I have done my duty,” the man spat.

“Duty to who?” Anatoly asked from his place by the door.

The man turned his attention to his Captain, his grin highlighting the swelling under one eye, “Not you.”

Oliver wasted no time in eliciting another pained reaction from the man while repeating Anatoly’s question. Laughter bubbled up from the traitor’s chest. As his captor moved in with the knife a second time he yelled, “Ask your niece!”

Oliver froze, then turned towards Anatoly for an answer. Anatoly shook his head and motioned for Oliver to join him. “We should let him sit. See what Samantha comes up with. Maybe leverage will get him to talk.”

Oliver sighed, glancing at their captive and then back to Anatoly, “Could she be a part of this? She mentioned contacts and…”

“No!” Anatoly cut him off, “Samantha is on our side. He is trying to make us question ourselves. Let him sit for a while.”

Oliver put down his knife and checked the man’s ropes before leaving the room behind Anatoly. He went to his room and washed the blood from his hands but avoided looking in the mirror, knowing that the man looking back wasn’t the one he knew. The small sink wasn’t enough to reach the blood that had dripped to his elbow, so opting for a shower and a change of clothes Oliver took his time getting back to Anatoly’s study. His friend sat in silence behind his desk but pushed a shot glass towards him when he entered the room.

“Drink with me.”

Oliver picked up the vodka he was offered and threw it back.

The next day Oliver found himself agitated. There had been no word from Samantha and he had promised Anatoly that he’d let the traitor stew. He refused to leave the house in case something came up and pushed himself to the limit by working out. By the following morning he was sore but ready to get out the other side of the situation his Russian friend was in. As he made his way downstairs he found Anatoly waiting for him just outside the prisoner’s room. He greeted Oliver with a smirk and opened the door for him, following him in.

As the hours passed and Oliver’s exasperation grew he became bolder with the torture he inflicted. The man screamed as his latest wound was cauterized before the blood loss could weaken him too much. Oliver placed his tools back on the table by the door, sparing a glance to Anatoly who motioned for him to proceed. Before he could decide on his next step the door opened, startling both men. They relaxed though as Samantha’s face came into view. She took a look around the room and then shut the door.

Ignoring the man tied to the chair in the center of the room she quickly announced the reason for her presence, “The hit has been called off.”

Anatoly caught the captive’s gaze flickering between Samantha and Oliver and sneered before addressing Samantha, “How did you manage that?”

Samantha smiled a fake smile and shrugged, “I promised we’d kill _him_ ,” pointing to the bloodied traitor.

The panic in the man’s face was evident, “No that can’t be, you were to die here. He said….” His words faltered as the knife Samantha grabbed from Oliver’s table pierced his throat.

Oliver stood stunned as Anatoly clicked his tongue at her, “We did not get information from him yet.”

Samantha’s face was blank as she turned towards the door, “The situation is resolved, what other information do you need?” And she walked out, leaving the two men to clean up the mess.

* * *

“Alright, the secure line is setup and ready,” Felicity cheerily interrupted Oliver’s stare down with her sister.

Oliver nodded and turned towards the still tense group sitting at the table. “I’d like to make this call privately.”

Laurel and Diggle nodded and headed for the stairs. Thea glanced between Oliver and Felicity, who was doing the same between Oliver and Samantha. “Ollie,” Thea spoke hesitantly, “couldn’t you just switch to Russian if it’s something we shouldn’t hear?” She had come to accept that there were still secrets her brother wanted to keep, and she was willing to give him this one if it meant lessening the tension.

Oliver looked towards his sister and clenched his fist, something he hadn’t done in quite some time. “Please, Thea.” The tight look on his face made her acquiesce and she left the room with a nod. Oliver sighed and looked at Felicity, his face hard and determined, “Please take your sister outside.”

She searched his eyes for anything that could hint to his reasoning, but all she saw was resolve. She placed one hand on the side of his neck and nodded. He closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly as she removed her hand, hearing her coax Samantha out with her. When the door closed he turned to ensure that he was truly alone before making the call from Felicity’s computer.

He recognized Anatoly’s voice as the Russian answered hesitantly in his native tongue, and Oliver replied smoothly in Russian, “It’s only me old friend.”

“Ah, my favorite American,” Anatoly switched to English. “Are you coming back to Russia? Or is this all I am going to get of you and my new American friends?”

Oliver smiled momentarily before clearing his throat and taking on the serious tone this conversation required, “Your niece is in the middle of something in Starling and I need some information.”

He heard movement on Anatoly’s end before the man’s voice came back through the line, “My niece is dead and I cannot discuss anything about that in the open.”

“The line is secured from this end and a remote scrambler employed for yours. I know how dangerous this is. And I know it involves Darkh.”

Anatoly sighed, “What do you need, Oliver?”

“Information on the mole we found, the one she killed before he could tell who else was embedded,” Oliver came right out with it, assuming that Anatoly knew the parts in between.

“I did keep his file from his time in my employment. How should I send it?”

“My tech support can get it from your email account. Attach the file to a draft and she’ll pull it then remove all evidence of it from your account. Can you do it five minutes after we end this call or do you need time to make a digital copy to upload?”

Anatoly chuckled, “Give me 30 minutes. I need to retrieve the disk from the safe.”

Oliver sighed, preparing himself for the next question, “Also…”

“You have questions about _her_?”

Oliver knew the man couldn’t see him but nodded anyway, “There’s something she’s hiding, about how she got back into the fold at HIVE. She’s…” He wasn’t sure how to continue, but Anatoly gave him the silence he needed to formulate his words. “She’s family to someone very close to me and I’m concerned about her connections.”

Now it was Anatoly’s turn to take his time, but he soon sighed and answered Oliver’s concerns, “That I do not know. One day she came to me and said she was ready to leave Bratva. So I did what I could to help. For you. I knew you would not want her thrown to the Bratva dogs, as they are. I did not know she was going back to her father.”

Oliver huffed in surprise, “You knew her father is Darkh?”

“After she called off the hit I was curious how that was possible. I knew she was HIVE and why she killed the traitor but…So I did the digging I should have done when I first started working with her. Oliver, there is something you need to know that she probably will not tell you.”

Oliver closed his eyes, waiting for the other shoe to drop, “Which is?”

“HIVE infiltrated Bratva to get to you.”

“But the hit was on you?”

“Yes, they would remove me to make you weak and vulnerable.” Anatoly laughed. “They obviously did not know you well.”

Oliver grimaced, not at all amused by the revelation, “Why would they want me?”

“Why did ARGUS want you?” Anatoly was quick to reply, his shrug evident in his enunciation. “If she’s in Starling, whatever reason they had to leave you alone since Russia must be gone.”

Oliver sighed. “Thanks for the warning. Take care, Anatoly. 30 minutes.”

“Be careful, Oliver. I’d like to see you and your friends again someday.”


	10. In the Middle

Oliver texted Felicity to tell her she was needed back in the lair, the file they were waiting for from Anatoly would be accessible in 30 minutes. She hadn’t gone far and was back at Oliver’s side in five.

“How was the call?” She called out the moment she saw him, the tension in his shoulders indicating that it was anything but pleasant.

Oliver turned and scanned the area behind her, “Where’s Samantha?”

“She’s with Dig and Laurel at Wildcat Gym.” Felicity raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

Oliver rubbed down his face with one hand and sighed. “She’s hiding something, but I can’t put my finger on what.”

Felicity put one hand on his shoulder and squeezed, tilting her head as she lowered her voice, “Then maybe we need to ask her.”

Oliver put his hand over hers and turned his head to kiss her knuckles, “I don’t want to put you in the middle of this. Especially if Darkh is after you.”

She smiled, “I’m already in the middle, Oliver. If anything my family is putting _you_ in the middle.” Her smile faltered and Oliver cupped her face with his hands, ensuring she was looking him in the eye as he spoke.

“No, Felicity. This was a long time coming. Anatoly told me that HIVE was after me in Russia 5 years ago. Whatever this is, it is likely about me.”

Their foreheads met and Felicity sighed, “But he’s my father, and he wants me, too. Maybe…”

Oliver pulled away to look at her better, “Maybe what?”

“Maybe it’s about both of us this time.” Something in Oliver’s brain clicked and he dropped his hands, backing away from Felicity. She grabbed for his arm, “What?”

He shook his head, pinching his lips together in a tight grimace. “Dammit. We just can’t win.” Fear was starting to creep into Felicity’s eyes, a look he hadn’t seen in months but knew well from the push and pull decisions he used to make. His face softened. “No, no….” He sighed and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her hair and laying his cheek on the top of her head, “It just seems that as things get good something else comes along.” He felt her body stiffen so he quickly continued, “but I love you, and we will work through this together.” He felt her relief as she sighed.

“No self-sacrificing plan in motion in that thick head of yours?” She mumbled against his chest.

He smiled against her hair, “No. I was just thinking that maybe it’s us being together that finally put your dad over the edge.” Felicity leaned back to look at Oliver’s face, hers scrunched up in confusion. Oliver opened his mouth to explain when the lair door opened.

“Sorry, guys. Am I interrupting something?” Thea stopped as she saw them.

Felicity shook her head and stepped back, squeezing Oliver’s hand one last time before walking towards her computers.

“Nothing we can’t continue later.” Oliver smiled at Thea, but she could tell something was wrong.

“Ollie, I know that look. What’s up?” She took in Felicity’s dour look. “Felicity? Everything okay?” Looking between the two she hoped it wasn’t relationship related. Her brother and her new sort-of sister were everything to her.

Oliver walked over to give his sister a hug, “Her father is a super villain and her half-sister is hiding something. But yeah, everything’s good,” the sarcasm evident in his voice.

Thea huffed with a laugh and returned the embrace, “Oh good, everything’s normal then.”

“Want to spar while we wait for the next shoe to drop?” Oliver motioned towards the mats.

Thea smiled and nodded, heading for the bathroom to change.

* * *

There was nothing in the file from Anatoly that told them anything they didn’t already know. The traitor hadn’t existed until 2 years before joining the Bratva, obviously a planted identity by HIVE. But now Felicity had facial recognition and some minor details she could use to try to figure out where and who he had been meeting, if she could find surveillance feeds from that time period. The mole seemed to be a dead end. The only other lead they had was Samantha herself, and Oliver was steeling himself for that confrontation.

After Diggle had texted that he and Samantha were heading back to the lair Oliver asked Thea to take Felicity home. Laurel was heading home to work so only Oliver was left. He used the salmon ladder to focus his mind, barely hearing the lair door over the clank of the metal bar hitting a notch. He jumped down and turned towards Dig, ignoring Samantha completely for the time being.

“John, can you give me 10 minutes with Samantha please.”

Diggle raised his eyebrows and nodded, texting Felicity the moment he left the lair to ensure that he shouldn’t have stayed.

Samantha glanced around nervously. The new Oliver was not one she could read, not like the Oliver she knew in Russia. The lack of an audience and his cold stare made her nervous. “Where’s Felicity?”

“Home.” His answer was gruff.

The brunette cleared her throat, “So is this when you threaten me, make me disappear, tell her I left on my own?”

Oliver let the corners of his lips curl up slightly as he put his T-shirt on. “No, this is when you tell me what you’re hiding.”

She tilted her tilt, looking slightly amused, “What makes you think I’m hiding something?”

“Because you didn’t tell me that your father was after me in Russia.”

The statement caught her off guard. She was wringing her hands before she could stop herself. She closed her eyes to get her bearings and shook her head. Letting her hands drop to her sides she found Oliver’s gaze again. “It wasn’t just in Russia.”

Oliver sighed, “So it’s true then, that he’s in Startling not just for Felicity.” Samantha looked guilty and her eyes glassy. Oliver furrowed his brow, his hands on his hips. “We can’t protect her if we don’t know everything.”

Samantha tried to speak but her voice faltered. She walked to the table where the dinner that felt like so long ago had been eaten and sat down. She couldn’t look at him, but she found her voice, “I want you to know that everything I’ve done has been with the best of intentions.”

After a few seconds of silence Oliver’s impatience was overriding his control, “Samantha!” His growl made her jump, an extraordinary feat given her training.

“Yes, my father’s after both of you. Yes, he was after you in Russia. And yes, it’s my fault.” She spit it out before she could change her mind. She wiped an errant tear from her face and turned towards Oliver, registering the blank look on his face.

“What is your fault?”

She laughed, sounding a bit hysterical as more tears started. “I didn’t know that he was after you until I started looking into the hit on Anatoly. He sent me in blind in order to get close to you. He was sacrificing _me_ to get _you_.” She laughed, “My father wanted you, your skills so badly, that he put me in place to die. He was hoping it’d be by your hand when you found out who I really was, but figured that the Bratva would do it if you didn’t. The mole was in place to ensure you found out about me at the right time.”

“But you managed to call off the hit.”

Samantha nodded, “I talked to Lawton when I found out that it was all part of dad's game. He didn’t like being played. So he helped me broker a deal with my father.”

Oliver was rubbing his thumb and index finger together, the anxiety rippling through him. “What kind of deal?”

“I would stay close to you and bring you into the fold.”

“But you got me out of Russia just a couple months later!”

Samantha laughed again, “Yeah, I used to think that was the smartest chess move I ever made. But now I’m thinking it can be labeled as the most likely to backfire.”

“Samantha, focus,” he growled.

She cleared her throat and closed her eyes, “I told him that you still needed more training. So helping you get out of Russia fell right into that. And it let me back into the fold at HIVE so I could track you and bring you in when you were ready. But…”

Oliver took a few steps towards her, “but what?”

“But then you came back to Starling and met Felicity and dad decided that if we waited longer we could use you to bring _her_ in, too.” Oliver opened his mouth to respond but Samantha continued, “There’s more, there are others involved, I’ve been trying to bring him down from the inside for 2 years. Since…”

“Why now, Samantha? What changed?”

She sighed, “I was telling the truth earlier about burning bridges over his response to the League. But I wasn’t honest about when.”

Oliver’s brow furrowed.

“Did you ever wonder why Ra’s chose you, Oliver?” He still looked confused so she continued, “HIVE made a deal with the League. It involved getting you out of the way so dad could swoop in and save his heartbroken daughter.”

The shock on Oliver’s face made Samantha laugh, “Yeah, he’s dad of the year material, isn’t he?”

“But you said you’ve been trying to take him down for 2 years. I left Russia 4 years ago and the problems with the League were less than year ago.”

Samantha’s face fell, “The deal was presented just after your mother shot you.”

“So when I brought Felicity into my crusade it marked her for Darkh to come after her?” The guilt on his face made Samantha jump from her seat and move towards him, stopping herself before she reached him.

“No, Oliver. That marked _you_.” He shook his head, not understanding. “Listen to me,” Samantha pleaded, “He was coming for her regardless. I just kept putting off the inevitable. Her proximity to you is what made _you_ a target for the deal. Otherwise dad would’ve been happy to just have your skills as part of HIVE, but being my sister’s partner, that made you a leverage point and he wants her more.”

Oliver closed his eyes, the truth of the words sinking in. “Merlyn.”

Samantha took a step back. “What?”

Oliver caught her gaze, “Malcolm Merlyn is the new head of the League. Is that…”he bit his lip and shook his head, “Is that something we need to worry about? Does the deal extend to him?”

Samantha smiled, making Oliver uneasy, “No, Malcolm is not someone to worry about right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on there being one more chapter to this, though it might stretch to two.


	11. From the Inside

_Samantha smiled, making Oliver uneasy, “No, Malcolm is not someone to worry about right now.”_

"You’re on a first name basis with the Demon’s Head?”

The smile fell from Samantha’s face, realizing her mistake. Clearing her throat she shook her head, “We may have crossed paths.”

Oliver wasn’t going to give up – she was hiding something else. “Samantha?”

Before she could answer a figure stepped from the shadows behind Oliver. How he hadn’t noticed its presence spoke to his focus on the woman in front of him.

“Don’t blame her. I was the one who approached her about bringing down Darkh.”

Oliver quickly turned towards the familiar voice. The ancient robes and demon’s head necklace looking out of place among the high tech of the lair.

Oliver scoffed, “Malcolm? What the hell are you doing here?”

Malcolm Merlyn smirked, his cocky facial expressions unchanged by his new power and role. “I’m here to save my daughter’s city.” He paused, taking a step forward before continuing, “And protect my bride’s family.”

“Bride?” Oliver turned towards Samantha. His eyes widening in realization.

The trio was interrupted by Oliver’s cell phone. Felicity’s face showing on the caller ID he answered it quickly, her panicked voice coming through the receiver before he could greet her, “Mom didn’t check in. Something’s wrong, Oliver!”

Oliver took a deep breath, “Felicity. Breathe.”

Samantha and Malcolm both gave Oliver concerned looks. He shook his head and continued talking into the phone. “How late is she in calling?”

Samantha looked at her watch and then ran to the computers, bringing up tracking programs and other apps the sisters had been working on for contingencies. Malcolm followed her though his eyes remained focused on Oliver.

Silence fell over the lair as Oliver ended the call, running his free hand through his short hair. Samantha looked up from the computer, waiting for him to speak first. Malcolm looked between the two and cleared his throat. Oliver glared at him, shaking his head before walking to the case holding his bow. He placed both fists on the cool plexiglass surface to gather himself, not bothering to turn to address the room’s other occupants.

“Felicity and Thea are on their way here.” He picked up his phone and typed out a text, the lair door opening almost immediately after he sent it.

Diggle stopped and crossed his arms across his chest when he saw Malcolm, who smirked at the cold greeting , “Mr. Diggle.”

Dig turned to look at Oliver whose back was still to the room, “Man, are you going to tell me we have to deal with him again?”

Oliver snorted and turned towards his brother-in-arms, “Ask his bride.”

Diggle furrowed his brow in confusion and spared a glance towards Samantha, “You’re kidding, right?”

Samantha stepped forward, her hand on Malcolm’s shoulder. “It’s true. There’s an alliance through marriage between the League and HIVE.”

Diggle shook his head, rubbing his chin with one hand, “Your father gave you to the League?”

Samantha and Malcolm both grinned, looking at each other before Samantha answered, “No. I gave myself to Malcolm. The League was just icing.”

“And HIVE is the sprinkles,” Malcolm added.

Dig looked at Oliver, who shrugged. Taking that as his cue to control the room the soldier took a step towards the duo and contemplated his approach before starting his interrogation. “Start from the beginning.”

Malcolm shifted into a more relaxed stance before answering, “I’d prefer to tell this story only once. So if we could wait for Ms. Smoak and my daughter to arrive I would be most grateful.”

“Uh huh.” Diggle glanced at Oliver. “Have you called Laurel yet?”

Oliver shook his head and pulled out his phone to do just that. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Malcolm and Samantha having a quiet conversation. From the look on Dig’s face he couldn’t hear them either. As he hung up Oliver decided that waiting the 20 minutes for Felicity was too long to get to the task at hand and walked towards the computer Samantha had been using.

“Where did you have Donna hiding? How could Darkh have gotten to her? Can we see what happened?” He shot off the questions to get their attention, hoping to break up whatever they were plotting.

Samantha smiled hesitantly and nudged Malcolm to step away from the table so she could deal with Oliver. “I had security cameras setup and multiple tracers that she could have on her. I have the programs running now. When Felicity gets here we should have a full picture of what happened and easily be able to come up with a plan for getting to whoever took her.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “So we’re certain someone took her?”

Samantha huffed, “Donna’s not stupid, she won’t run away from a safe place when she knows her daughter’s safe, too.”

The tension in the room only thickened as the time passed, the only sound the clicks from the computer as Samantha set up everything Felicity will want to see when she arrives. As Diggle gave his watch yet another glare Felicity ran into the room and nearly knocked her sister over to get to the computer. Out of breath, Thea followed her and shook her head at her brother, who eyed her questionably.

“That girl can move when she needs to!”

Oliver smiled faintly at his sister’s exasperation and turned towards the computers. “Samantha, show her what you’ve got so we can get this taken care of.”

Samantha nodded and started, “Surveillance shows HIVE agents taking her about an hour before her check-in time.” Felicity gasped, but Samantha continued, “I recognize them, dad’s trusty goon squad. This means he’s behind it. Her trackers are all either still at the safe house or offline, so either they found them or I wasn’t thorough enough. All public, and some not so public, cameras are being scoured to determine where they went from there. So far I’ve tracked them 3 miles, heading towards the Glades. So they’ll probably be close once we pinpoint it.” Samantha sighed. “I assume he’s using her for leverage, but we should’ve heard something from him by now. Unless he’s hoping we track him so he can set a trap instead.”

“His aliases,” Felicity nearly yelled. Looking around the room she finally noticed Malcolm, furrowing her brow at him she shook her head and continued, “He let us into his personnel file for a reason, but the only thing in it were aliases. I bet that if I re-run the programs we’ll get a hit. He wants us to find him now that he has mom.”

Oliver nodded, “Good. You do that while we prep.” He placed a hand on Felicity’s shoulder, “We’ll get her back safe.”

She looked up at him, a weak smile on her lips as she leaned her chin against his hand, “I know.”

He squeezed her shoulder before stepping back and looking at Malcolm. “Okay, now it’s your turn. Fill them in on your little HIVE takeover plan.”

Malcolm smirked, “Little? I convinced Damien Darkh’s daughter to take him down from inside and then married her and promised her not only HIVE, but the League. I hardly call that little.”

Felicity gasped at the mention of her sister, her eyes wide as she glared at Samantha. “Married?”

Samantha seemed embarrassed and stepped closer towards Malcolm, “Collaboration actually. Or alliance. Or partnership?” She shrugged, sensing the hard sell her husband was going to be for the room.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Thea huffed from the other side of the room.

Diggle snorted, “That’s what I said.” Earning a small grin from the petite crime fighter.

Felicity shook her head, trying to ignore the background chatter, “Since when?”

Samantha and Malcolm quickly looked at each other. He nodded and she cleared her throat, turning to address her sister. “Malcolm approached me just before the Undertaking. He wanted to recruit me to prevent the resistance he knew he’d meet from Oliver.” The whole team collectively rolled their eyes. “But I couldn’t help – I wouldn’t help.”

“Why?” Felicity’s voice was cold, making Samantha flinch.

“Because of you, Lissy.” She cleared her throat before continuing, “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t consider everything he and I discussed. So when he needed some help coming back from an arrow through the chest,” Samantha glared at Oliver, who simply glared back with no apology, “I helped. And then we started working on taking down HIVE.”

“So you joined up with a mass murderer?”

“I’m in no position to judge,” Samantha answered her sister just as coldly.

Malcolm placed a hand on Samantha’s forearm, “Truth be told, Ms. Smoak, your sister is the one who convinced me that I may have been a bit too heavy handed in my approach to cleansing the city. And she convinced me to reconnect with my daughter.”

Thea huffed, “Which can also be described as heavy handed.”

Malcolm nodded, turning his head halfway to catch her gaze, “Point taken.”

Felicity shook her head, swiveling her chair to face the room. “Okay, so what do we do to get my mom back and make sure my dad, unlike Thea’s, actually pays for his crimes.”

Thea smiled and Samantha sighed as Oliver and Dig stoically glared at Malcolm. Before anyone could respond a voice startled them from the shadows Malcolm had stepped out of less than an hour prior. “I know where they are.” Oliver swore it seemed familiar, though raspier than the last time he heard it. Turning to take in the figure they hadn’t seen enter the room he swore he had to be hallucinating.

As Team Arrow stood dumbstruck Malcolm smiled and Samantha fidgeted, stating slowly, “Oh did I forget to mention I also helped someone else that night?”

The door to the lair interrupted the silence and Laurel’s high heels clicked across the floor, “Sorry it took me so long…” She stopped when she took in the looks on the faces around her. Turning towards the stranger to figure out what was going on her mouth dropped open and her eyes welled with tears. “Tommy?”

“But, how?” Laurel finally got out after running to Tommy Merlyn and cupping his cheek with her hand, feeling the stubble on a face she never thought she’d see again.

He smiled and covered her hand with his own. “You should ask my new stepmother.” Laurel’s confused look made him snort. “I’ll give you the abridged version after we get Felicity’s mom back.”

“Actually, the how is a quick answer. Water from Nanda Parbat. Malcolm had a stash in Starling,” Samantha added from her place next to Malcolm, who gave her an admonishing look. She smiled and patted his shoulder, “Remember, secrets are why they hate you.”

Oliver sighed and walked over to Tommy, “We have a lot of catching up to do.” Oliver’s eyes were glassy and turning red with unshed tears. He put a hand on the shoulder of his best friend returned from the dead, “But thank you for being here now.”

Laurel stepped back and wiped her face, clearing her throat while walking over to Thea, who still stood stunned. Patting the younger woman’s arm Laurel grabbed her gear and went to the bathroom to change.

Tommy caught Thea’s glance and smiled. She smiled back and ran at him for a hug. He returned her embrace and caught Oliver’s eye, who smiled.

“I was brought back from the dead, too,” Thea mumbled into Tommy’s rough League-style shirt.

“I know, I was there.”

Thea stepped back to look at Tommy’s face. “What do you mean you were there?” She glanced at Oliver, who looked just as confused.

Tommy sighed. “Like I said, I can give you the abridged version later. Right now we have to save my best friend’s future mother-in-law.”


	12. Rescue

_Tommy sighed. “Like I said, I can give you the abridged version later. Right now we have to save my best friend’s future mother-in-law.”_

Oliver nodded, ignoring the implications of what Tommy had just said, “You said you know where they are?”

Tommy walked towards the center of the room and answered, “I followed them from the safe house to a boarded up building 2 blocks from here.”

“Why didn’t you call when they took her?” Samantha questioned.

Tommy shook his head, “They had too many ears. I don’t want them to know we knew she was gone yet.”

Samantha nodded, “Chances are the aliases will send us somewhere else, where the trap is. If we follow through on that he’ll divert the manpower and we’ll have a better shot of actually getting to Donna.”

Oliver sighed, “I don’t like splitting us up. And what kind of trap will we be looking at?”

Samantha shrugged, “I don’t know. I’m not sure how he knew about the safe house so I’m going in just as blind as you are. But he doesn’t know about Malcolm and Tommy, so they can extract Donna while the rest of us meet dad at the trap.”

Oliver shook his head, “I’m not sending Thea or Felicity into a trap.”

Samantha straightened up and took a step towards Oliver, “Thea can help Tommy and Malcolm, but he’ll be expecting Felicity. If she isn’t there, he’ll know we’re onto him.”

Malcolm put a hand on Samantha’s shoulder, pulling her to step back from Oliver. “The trap is meant to be a means to capture Felicity, and probably Oliver as well. We can’t give him both.”

Felicity stood up beside Oliver, placing her attention on her sister and Malcolm. “What are we ultimately planning to do though? Subdue and tie up everyone at the trap location? Kill dad? What’s the end game here?”

Samantha lowered her eyes as she answered, “Dad would go with the League to be tried for his crimes against them.”

“And the agents with him?” Felicity asked quietly.

Samantha met her gaze, “They’re loyal to him and will have to go if we are to ever be safe.”

Felicity sighed and walked away from the group in her ‘I need air’ pose Oliver has come to know well.

Diggle spoke up, “Can’t we give the SCPD some dirt on the goons and have them locked away?”

Malcolm answered before Samantha could, “The League would be more than happy to get its hands dirty if you feel your moral objections can’t handle what needs to be done. This was our plan after all. You just got in the middle of an old feud.”

Oliver caught Diggle’s eye and both men nodded. “Okay, Thea and Tommy will get Donna. Malcolm, the League can handle taking out HIVE and Darkh. Samantha, Laurel, Diggle and I will go in first though to make it seem that we fell for the trap.”

“What about me?” Felicity asked from behind him. “I should be there to confront my dad. He’ll be expecting it.”

Turning towards her he sighed, “Felicity, if he doesn’t know we know about your mom he’ll just think we’re following up on his alias.”

She shook her head and spoke quietly, “It’s my dad, Oliver.”

Oliver grimaced. “Are you sure?”

She nodded in response and took one of his hands in hers. “Samantha and I can wait in the van on the comms. With you in first and the League coming in behind us I’ll be safe and we can enter together after you confirm he’s there.”

Oliver sighed, “Okay, I’ll go fill in Laurel and get changed.”

* * *

Tommy and Thea confirmed over the comms that they were in position to grab Donna once the confrontation with Darkh was underway just as the van pulled up to the location Felicity pinged for Edward Smoak.

“Of course he would use that alias to draw me out,” Felicity muttered under her breath.

Oliver squeezed her shoulder from his seat between her and the door of the van, giving her an encouraging smile when she looked up at him. He turned to address her sister, “Wait for the confirmation that he’s here before you come in.”

Samantha nodded. Oliver opened the sliding door, giving Laurel and Diggle a silent command to follow. Felicity watched them disappear into the darkness of the alleyway leading to the apartment building where the signal had led them, and then listened to the quiet breathing coming over the comms. When she heard a scuffle and then voices, she recognized her father’s slow timbre immediately.

“Mr. Queen. Finally we meet. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Years in fact.”

Oliver grunted, talking through clenched teeth, “I’m flattered that you thought you’d need 20 men to take me down.”

Felicity’s eyes widened as she looked at her sister’s blank face, “Twenty?” she mouthed quietly.

Samantha switched comm channels without responding, “Malcolm we’ve confirmed Darkh, twenty men, head to position.” Without waiting for a reply she stepped out of the van and started walking towards the building.

Felicity sighed and followed, speaking into her comm, “We’re going in.” She focused on following Samantha and mentally bracing herself for the confrontation ahead. She heard Thea’s reassurances that only a handful of men were at their location and tried to zone out her father’s exaggerated flattery of Oliver.

“I would never underestimate you, my son. I’ve seen your handiwork, even had an agent up close to you for nearly a year.”

“I know. In Russia. The daughter you threw to the wolves,” Oliver’s voice was calm and steady.

“She should’ve brought you in then. But she always was a weak one.”

Felicity saw Samantha’s steps slow before she regained her pace. There really was no love lost between them, giving the blonde the boost of courage she needed to do what came next. It was time he knew what he had lost, what he could never have.

Oliver laid the foundation for them to enter, “Your daughters are stronger than you give them credit for. Knocking them down to build them up creates cracks, cracks and holes they’ve had to fill on their own. That takes greater strength than following orders or letting you do it over and over again.”

Damien Darkh laughed, his sinister voice echoing loudly through the comms as the women stood behind him in the doorway to a large apartment. “Right now my eldest is hiding out in the world, licking her wounds, waiting for the opportunity to come home to me. And my youngest, she’ll be begging to join me when she finds out I not only took her mother, but you as well.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” his daughters said simultaneously, causing him and his men to turn towards them.

Surprise flashed across his face briefly, but his mask quickly came up. He smiled, causing Felicity’s stomach to turn. This was not the man she remembered from her childhood. What stood before her was a monster who had worn the mask of a man that never existed.

“Ah, my girls. So glad you could join the party. I was just…”

“I know what you were doing,” Felicity said calmly. She was poised and confidant now that she knew exactly who she was dealing with. He was just another Malcolm Merlyn or Ra’s al Ghul. “And I am not your girl.”

“Lissy, sweetheart. It’s been so long. We have so much catching up to do.” His cheshire grin made her roll her eyes and snort.

“Sweetheart? Really? You kidnapped my mom and set a trap for the man I love, twice! Nevermind what you’ve done to Sammy.”

Samantha stood stiffly next to Felicity, her eyes constantly assessing everyone in the room. She just needed to kill time until the League stepped in and assure that Team Arrow and Felicity were in safe positions.

“Twice?” Darkh asked innocently.

“I know about your deal with Ra’s,” Felicity spit back.

Darkh’s mask dropped and the darkness that she had only heard until now took over his face, “Someone’s been telling my secrets.” He glared at Samantha, who simply smirked.

“Our family doesn’t keep secrets,” Dig added from the other side of the room. Darkh quickly turned and the agent holding Diggle’s wrists behind his back tugged him down to his knees. A single agent on each of the team members wasn’t enough to hold them, even Laurel could take on two or three at once – Darkh actually had underestimated them. Felicity smiled, quickly letting it drop before her father turned back towards her.

“We have Donna and are headed back to the lair,” Thea’s out of breath voice came over the comms. Oliver quickly met Felicity’s eyes. She shook her head slightly, indicating ‘not yet’. They had to wait for the League.

Darkh stepped forward, his hand reaching out towards Felicity, the fake grin plastered back on his face. “Now, darling. Why don’t you come with me and I’ll show you what I’ve been working on. I’ll even let Oliver join us. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Being a family again? I’m sure we can even convince your mother that this is what’s best.”

“What about Samantha?” Felicity feigned interest.

Her father dropped his hand and shook his head, frowning. “She has caused quite a bit of trouble. I can’t let that go unpunished. Surely you understand?”

Felicity scoffed, “Actually I don’t.” She saw the League members enter the windows on the other side of the room, quietly taking out the men standing guard there. That left 17. ‘Better than 20,’ Felicity thought to herself. “There was a time when I wanted nothing more than for you to come home to us. For you to bring Sammy back.” Felicity didn’t let her eyes waver from his. She wanted this moment to sear itself into his memory on the off chance Malcolm let him live. “But now that I know who you really are, I want nothing to do with you.” She saw Malcolm enter from a back room, members of the League quietly lining the back of the room, waiting for the moment to clash with the remaining men. “In fact, I’m ready to simply let you go.”

She nodded towards Malcolm. Oliver took the cue and elbowed the agent holding him, Laurel and Dig following his lead. Darkh turned and found his men busied by the black-clad assassins as Malcolm sauntered towards him, his sword at the ready. “Nooo! Merlyn, you will not have what is mine!” Darkh seethed through his clenched teeth.

Malcolm raised one corner of his lips. “I already have what’s yours. I believe you know my lovely bride.”

“Father.” Samantha quickly walked towards Darkh, sucker punching him the moment he turned towards her. His broken nose bled immediately and before he could pull his weapon Malcolm’s blade was at his throat.

“Uh uh uh, Damien. You’re coming to Nanda Parbat.”

The sounds of struggle ceased as the League took out or incapacitated all of the HIVE agents. Oliver came to stand next to Felicity, pulling her into his side and kissing her temple.

“Lissy, please,” Darkh pleaded. “I’ll tell you where your mother is if you just talk some sense into your sister.”

Felicity smiled. “Oh, I forgot to mention, we already saved her. So thanks, but no thanks.” She turned towards Oliver and patted his chest, “Let’s go home.”

He smiled and turned to lead her and his team out the door. Felicity turned her head and quickly shouted over her shoulder, “Call me when you’re back in town, Sammy?”

Samantha smiled, “Absolutely.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end of this particular story. I know, Tommy's story is still out there somewhere. And Donna's POV isn't addressed. And what happens to Darkh? Maybe some day the characters will tell me, then I can tell you ;)


End file.
